Video: How to Run Out of Daylight while Mountain Biking in ‘Sandbagger’s Choice’
There's no surer way to make a big day bigger than by trying to film it.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Enjoy a big-ride-turned-entertaining-short-film with Peter Wojnar and crew, from a day out in the Chilcotins last summer. If you enjoy ‘Sandbagger’s Choice’ and are ready to graduate your viewing to an even bigger ride turned into a longer film by Woj, check out ‘So Far… We’ve Made It This Far’ HERE.
—
Words and Video by Peter Wojnar:
My first ever visit to the Chilcotins was an exercise in having my ass handed to me. Josh Hall and Chris Clark were world-class fit, and I thought I was ‘close enough’ to hang. I was wrong, and the weather didn’t help me out. So when they returned a couple weeks later to complete their planned route without me, the ride stuck in the back of my mind.
Six years later and many, many trips to ride in South Chilcotin Provincial Park, and I have become intimately familiar with the mountain ranges, routes, lakes, and streams that make up the region, and the distances between them that compound to a huge scale. Late last summer, I finally felt ready to take another stab at that first ride—if only to get it out of my mind. I called on Zanny Venner (reasonably fit) and Joel Ducrot (no idea what he was getting into; great attitude) to join me on the big ride… and what better way to sandbag our chances of success than to bring a camera and tripod to tell the story?
For anyone interested, I’d highly recommend our approximate route as a bikepacking trip with one or two nights camping along the way. For most riders, I wouldn’t recommend it as a day trip, without a detailed, first-hand knowledge of the route, and a clear understanding of the consequences of coming up short.
I’d like to acknowledge that this ride took place in Big Creek and South Chilcotin Provincial Parks, which are really the unceded territory of the Tsilhqot’in, St’at’imc, and Secwepemc First Nations. We’re lucky to be able to respectfully ride the trails and routes in those parks, that have been used by those First Nations for a long time before parks were ever a thing.
